Kingdom’s Bloodline

Latest website: Although the two grassland guests have noble status, their skills are sharp, fierce and unambiguous. Their wrestling and grappling skills are skillful and deadly. They have obviously been trained in actual combat.

Firstly, the martial arts style in Seli Grassland is completely different from that in the West Continent. Secondly, the guards and servants who came to the scene did not dare to take heavy blows. Therefore, they tried several times but failed to suppress the two people who were using real fire. Several enthusiastic guests who acted bravely were injured.

"It looks so familiar. It reminds me of a royal banquet."

Looking at the chaos in the banquet hall, Thales said warily: "Is this it? If someone is killed, the Kingdom's secret department can use it..."

"I don't think so," Zhan, who was paying close attention to the situation, shook his head. "The grassland people know that this is their own hatred, and the conflict between foreign guests does not involve Kevin Dill. The Emerald Celebration brings together guests from all over the world, It’s not surprising that there are such drunken disputes every year. To say the least, even if there are serious consequences..."

Zhan stopped and glanced at Thales.

"The Emerald City has its own laws, which are fair, strict, and convincing. This is known to all parties on the routes and trade routes. As long as we handle it properly, no one will blame us."

After hearing this, Thales couldn't help but sigh as he thought of his own experience.

"It makes sense. If there was a judge like Brennan in the royal capital, then Anke Bailar wouldn't have no way to turn to me and come to my banquet to kidnap and coerce him."

And you won't give him that sword to trouble me.

Thales held back his unspoken curse.

"I know you are scolding me in your mind."

Zhan En's expression remained unchanged, distant and indifferent:

"But you actually know very well that that is simply not a problem that one or two well-trained and principled inquisitors can solve."

Thales pursed his lips. Zhan's words reminded him of Cohen's career as a vigilance officer in Yongxing City.

While he was thinking about it, the conflict in the banquet hall changed again. A nimble figure squeezed into the ranks of the guards and instantly joined the battle between the two prairie guests!

Boom! Snapped!

The newcomer did not show any superior strength or skills, but he was very lucky. Cha Cha Ka entered the battle just before the offensive of the two parties was about to subside and the new round had not yet begun. He was seen squatting to receive the punch, turning around and sweeping his legs. The two The guests fell to the ground hard one after another!

The onlookers exclaimed.

The two perpetrators were still angry and were about to stand up, but when the newcomer raised his hand, a sheathed sword flew from the side and fell into his hand.

The next second, the newcomer knocked the two prairie men unconscious with two unceremonious bangs.

The guards saw the gap and hurriedly stepped forward to separate the two men, then helped them up to treat their injuries.

Perhaps due to the atmosphere, the surrounding guests cheered and applauded one after another, and the nearby performer also played a song "Conquest Song" at the right time.

The conflict was resolved, and the newcomer turned around and sheathed his sword gracefully, only to hear a tearing sound - Miranda stood barefoot on the ground, frowning at her torn skirt, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Not bad at all, but," Zhan hummed and glanced at Thales, "It's a pity."

Thales was thinking about what to say to show his masterful demeanor, "Oh, no wonder, all my subordinates are at this level." When he heard these words, his expression froze:

What a pity? What a pity? What's the pity?

Don’t just tell half the story!

At the scene of the incident, Mallos appeared behind Miranda mysteriously, handed out his coat, and at the same time replaced the eagle in her hand. This made a group of red-eyed people around them eager to take off their coats or coats. The men let out sighs of disappointment.

"The sword came at the right time, my lord. It's just that I kicked off my shoe just now." Miranda looked at her bare feet with an embarrassed expression. "Can you please..."

Before he finished speaking, Mallos automatically moved out of the way: Glover and Paul struggled to squeeze through the crowd. The former had a button knocked out and a left shoe was returned awkwardly, while the latter had a smile on his face. With a smile and a stain that he didn't know when he got it, he handed out a right shoe in a graceful manner.

"When did you find it?" Miranda took the shoes in surprise.

"When did you kick them off?" Mallos said expressionlessly.

Miranda smiled and thanked them one by one.

The atmosphere in the Star Lake Guards became more harmonious until D.D, panting, pushed his way through the crowd and held out the third women's shoe flatteringly and expectantly.

"What? It's not this one? Ah, that's it, hey hey, it doesn't matter! Nixi is still behind, lying on the ground looking for inch by inch..."

When the crisis came to an end, the two prairie visitors in question also woke up, and most of their anger was gone. Maybe it was because they lost face after being knocked down in public, or maybe because the person who took action was actually a girl.

However, one of them broke away from the servant angrily and rushed in front of Miranda to accuse him. However, the Star Lake Guards were not to be outdone. D.D took a step forward, held Glover with his left hand, and pulled Paul with his right hand, protecting Miranda with great courage.

The guest touched the red and swollen place on his forehead and spoke angrily to Miranda in Donglu Prairie dialect. The person next to him quickly translated: The guest wants to know this girl's name and address - when he rides on horseback to fight in the future. , conquered ten tribes on the Giseli grassland, and when they had saved ten pieces of pasture, they returned to the Western Continent and gave her five pieces of grassland as a betrothal gift.

Miranda couldn't help but be stunned, trying to understand the other party's words, but the other perpetrator snorted coldly, pushed the waiter away and came forward.

With blue eyes and a red face, the guest straightened his messy clothes and said to Miranda in the common language of Western China. "This girl is beautiful, brave and capable. Will she be willing to come back to the capital with him?" Seri Grassland, if he is willing, he will swear an oath to his honorary sword now. If he becomes the Khan of the tribe in the future, she will be his concubine. Together they will rule the tribe and Megatron Grassland. If he fails to become If the Khan unfortunately dies early, the girl can take away half of his cattle and sheep and find another hero to remarry.

After coming and going, the two guests across Miranda began to yell and curse again - I don't know if it was for the girl, or for "Kiseli" or "Dutheli" - and were about to roll up their sleeves and start fighting again. But a pair of black-gloved hands grabbed his shoulders.

"Tell them that I am not a tool for them to compete for appearance."

"As for Caochang and Khan, it's meaningless to me," Miranda, who couldn't mend the torn skirt, simply wrapped it around her calf as a legging, put her arms around their necks, and laughed, "Because I It’s the Khan—the Khan of the Snows beyond the sea!”

The two prairie guests were startled at first, but after they understood, they looked at Miranda with even more enthusiasm - they were gesticulating and chattering, wanting to form unrelated but more holy brothers and sisters with her.

Mallos appeared at the right time and praised the skills of the two guests with a smile. He pointed to the plates and dishes on the ground that were affected by their fight. At the same time, he waved his hands. The two Exeter guests next to him said to "Khan on the Snow." Before commenting on its meaning, let everyone pull Miranda away.

The situation calmed down and the warm atmosphere of feasting and celebration returned to this corner.

"It is indeed a good sword."

Zhan, who was on the lookout, looked at Miranda, his eyes showed approval, and he spoke again:

"It's sharp and powerful, and it may have miraculous effects."

Thales and Yourong Yan adjusted their collars and straightened their backs in a dark corner where no one could see clearly.

But Zhan En changed the subject:

"It's just that the sword has a double edge and it's easy to hurt yourself. If you're not strong enough, it's better not to swing it carelessly."

"Don't worry," Thales curled his lips, "I'm not like someone who carries a sword every day and goes to other people's banquets to give it away."

Speaking of old grudges, Thales and Zhan looked at each other and turned their heads in unison.

"Well, at least we are sure of one thing," Thales exhaled. "My father will not attack the guests from the prairie during the competition banquet - the knife will not fall from here."

"Well said," Zhan En said sarcastically, "Now the only ones we need to pay attention to are the hundreds of other guests. This is like a sudden enlightenment, which greatly reduces the difficulty of our work."

The two were silent for a while.

"Can we stop mocking each other?" Thales sighed, "To be honest, this has greatly increased the difficulty of our communication."

Zhan En chuckled lightly and picked up the hookah.

"Tell me, Thales, what secrets have you and your people uncovered in the Emerald City these days?"

Thales' heart skipped a beat.

"Feel sorry?"

Duke Iris snorted:

"Stop pretending. In the past few days, your men - including that Arlend, even took off their military uniforms to attend the banquet - tried every possible means to infiltrate the Emerald City, from the nobles to the common people. I have searched everywhere, including business, trade, security, military, law, history, and even my sister's affairs... But you yourself can spend my entertainment funds, wandering around the city, looking for trouble everywhere. Do you really think I don’t know what you want to do?”

Thales' expression froze.

Oh oh.

"I thought I had an agreement with you, Thales: In the Emerald City, we will be honest and honest——"

Facing Zhan's burning gaze, Thales coughed as he was exposed.

"Well, I, we are busy these days, and you are not free, so I didn't have time to visit your bedroom at night. Well, I can't tell you in private..."

But Jenn ignored his boundaries and continued aggressively:

"——But you are doing little tricks behind my back, trying to find ways to defeat me?"

The Duke of Nan'an put down his cigarette holder and exhaled a puff of white smoke, making his expression even more bizarre.

Thales was a little embarrassed and rubbed his hands.

"Yes, I sent people to investigate and reconnoiter to understand the current situation of Emerald City and search for the weaknesses of Emerald City, because - because this is what I should do!"

The prince adjusted his mood to sound confident:

"Since we want everyone, especially my father, to see the two of us in conflict and hostile to each other... isn't this normal, appropriate, or even necessary?"

Zhan narrowed his eyes.

Thales turned around and waved without any doubt:

"Since you want to pursue stabs - pursue effects, then follow through to the end!"

Zhan En didn't answer, just looked at him silently.

The other party's silence lasted for so long that Thales felt a little embarrassed and had to put down his sore arm.

"well said."

The Duke of Nan'an looked at the Emerald City outside the observation deck and snorted coldly:

"As your apparent enemy, I should also use all my strength to fight against you, block your channels, embarrass your subordinates, hinder your life, and never let you have an easy time, to show that we can indeed fight to the death. Don’t reveal any flaws—otherwise, how can you deceive others, right?”

Thales was not to be outdone:

"What? Are you threatening me now? Don't forget-"

Zhan En continued, "How about we start by cutting your daily meals?"

Meals...

Thales put on a friendly smile in time and changed the subject:

"--Don't forget that we are just acting!"

He chuckled:

"Alas, acting is just a means after all. It's not good to be too serious and too involved in the play. It will seriously affect our cooperation efficiency. After all, we still have the biggest enemy!"

Zhan En snorted disdainfully and then took a puff of cigarette.

"So, Your Highness and your men have worked hard these days. Have you found anything in the Emerald City?"

Amid the smoke, the Duke of South Bank looked straight into Thales' eyes:

"For example, is there anything worth noting that can be used as a handle to overthrow Kevin Dill's family with one fatal blow?"

Thales paused, smiling awkwardly.

"Well..."

Something that is enough to overthrow Kevin Dill's family--uh, the secret seasoning of barbecue?

"We thought we had agreed to be frank?"

The next moment, the Duke's momentum changed, his eyes full of murderous intent:

"Tell me, Thales, if you were the king, you were His Majesty, how would you deal with the Emerald City to seize power from Kevin Dill?"

Thales' smile froze.

If you were the king.

How to seize power...

Thales?

The prince looked back at him silently.

And Zhan En just smoked silently, waiting for his response.

At that moment, many thoughts flashed through Thales' mind.

You are the king.

You are His Majesty.

What would you do?

In an instant, he seemed to be back in the Renaissance Palace and saw the back of the young man with the crown.

The young man just moved his fingers, and the whole kingdom moved like a machine, in an orderly manner, as if he were using his arm.

His kingdom.

Thales had to reach out and pinch the covenant in his pocket, relying on the thorny bone on it to pull himself back to reality.

The two people on the observation deck faced each other silently. On one side of them was the banquet hall with singing and dancing and bustling voices, and on the other side was the panoramic view of Emerald City dotted with stars from a high vantage point.

Finally, Thales sighed softly:

"Yes, I sent my men these days and indeed learned some information about Emerald City."

Jane put down the hookah and looked at him seriously.

"As far as I know, a large amount of commercial goods from the entire kingdom are gathered here, in Emerald City, assembled, processed, classified, and traded."

Tales' expression was serious:

"Then transported to Gonghai City, where it goes out to sea, leading to the north, the East Land, or the south to the Shark Sea, and vice versa."

This was the main topic that Glover finally talked about after returning from the Canal Zone and telling a lot of horror stories about water corpses eating people on the docks and the sea legends of Tidehunters.

Hearing his words, Zhanen's eyes were different.

"And those merchants, craftsmen, and handicraftsmen, they don't go anywhere, they only believe in Emerald City and Kevin Deer, believe in the order and rules here," Thales shook his head, "Secret Science can threaten a wine merchant to defect, and maybe influence some industries through him..."

"Defection?"

Jane thought.

"That wine merchant, do you really think that Secret Science can influence something through him, or someone like him?"

"Maybe, just maybe," Thales shook his head, "but the key is that they can't force so many people to defect at the same time, can't change the impression of Emerald City in everyone's mind, and can't cut off your already established source of wealth."

Jane didn't say anything, just nodded silently.

"In addition, the Kevindill family has a number of armed merchant ships in which they have a stake, such as the pirate just now, um, former pirate, Tanganga's Sea Wolf Fleet."

Thales continued calmly:

"Of course, they are still merchant ships in name, belonging to different ship owners, and their scale is not as large as the Kingdom and Huigang Navy anchored in the East Sea Territory, and their combat effectiveness is unknown... but they are enough to guarantee your transoceanic trade."

This is the information that Huai Ya and Komuto brought back after eating around in major guilds with Gilbert's reputation.

"As for the Emerald Legion, this is another innovation - yes, they were founded not long ago, have not experienced war, and are not well trained. In terms of combat power and scale, they are not as good as the royal standing army, and may not be able to withstand two rounds of the Raging Guard of Araka Mu."

This is the conclusion that Glover, including Miranda, and several face-saving local officers came to after "trying their hands" behind the scenes.

"You're too kind," Zhan En suddenly said, "I know how strong those cuckolds are. If they can hold out for half a round without being overwhelmed and collapsed, they are worthy of their salary."

Faced with such a frank duke, Thales was a little embarrassed.

"But they have a unified command and take this as their job, without the disadvantages of conscripting soldiers," Thales continued, "If my father wants to deal with you in a similar way to the legendary wing messing with the blade camp, it will probably be difficult, at least there is no enough excuse and reason."

Zhan En smiled.

He looked at the boy with interest, as if encouraging:

"What else?"

Thales also looked back at him.

Zhan En looked very calm.

Is he confident?

Or is he ready to go?

"The citizens here."

Thales continued.

"They are different from Yongxing City. In fact, they are different from the citizens of most places I have seen. They are various workshop owners, industrial owners, ship owners, merchants, as well as workers, craftsmen, cart drivers, trackers, There are too many sailors to count, including the various guilds, guilds, and chambers of commerce they have formed, so much so that the Emerald City has set up a notary office to handle their matters.

"The same goes for grassroots officials. This is the first time I've seen so many people in the police department. It's ridiculously large. They don't think there are enough, so they have to recruit voluntary assistants from good citizens - most of them are ordinary citizens, and their families have families in the Emerald City. "Property has industry."

This is the information that Conmuto got from finding some old friends here through his relationship with the Police Department.

Of course, there are also D.D. and Nexi, who were discovered by a group of them while they were having fun in the city - of course it was funded by the Emerald City's public funds.

"In other places, farmers, herdsmen, and craftsmen depend on the land for a living in the countryside around the lord's castle. If there is no harvest or food shortage, they may protest and revolt. In order not to be overwhelmed by them, the lord may also get involved and cause conflicts. Ascend to the level of Guardian Duke."

Thales sighed softly and looked at him strangely:

"But these citizens from all walks of life who have left the land... want to incite them against you and overthrow Kevin Deere. I can only say that it is not the time yet."

Zhan’s smile continued:

"It's not surprising. Yongxing City, Huigang City... big towns all have such characteristics."

But Thales shook his head.

"After I came here, rumors spread all over the streets of Emerald City. Although the versions are different, the general point is: once I marry your sister..."

Speaking of sensitive information, Thales couldn't help but raise his head and observe Zhan's expression to prevent him from impulsively pushing him down.

Fortunately, although the Duke of Nan'an frowned slightly, he did not act too violently.

"Rumors say that once I marry the Duke's sister and become Kevin Deere's brother-in-law," Thales said carefully, "then the Iris family will be forced to bow their heads in the face of royal relatives named Canxing. , the royal merchants under the royal family will flock to the Emerald City..."

"Come to share the market and profits?" Zhan asked with raised eyebrows.

"No, Emerald City is not afraid of anyone coming to divide the market. In fact, you welcome and encourage merchants to come, thinking that this can drive circulation and promote prosperity," Thales denied, "But you spread this rumor - yes, I know It’s you who want to let the citizens know that someone, a big shot, is coming to change the rules of the Emerald City from top to bottom.”

Zhan raised his eyebrows.

Yes, this is a rumor. This is the news that Rolf pretended to be a deaf mute, and relied on the advantage that no one cared about him, and heard the news in the street wine shops.

Thales leaned on the railing and looked at the lights of thousands of houses below.

"As a Duke, you can introduce specific administrative agencies into the Kongming Palace, you can willingly pay fines to the trial hall, and you can humbly apologize to the judge. This means that in the entire South Bank Territory, no one - unless he has the power of his position Above the Duke of Guardians - Dare to break the rules that even Iris must follow."

Thales looked at him:

"It is these rules that the Kevin Deere family took the lead in creating and maintaining, which have shaped the unique order of the South Coast Territory: outside businessmen bring their goods in with confidence, without fear of turmoil or power; local citizens carry a Even if you have a bag of gold, you dare to go out on the street without worrying about safety or loss; even the rich and powerful nobles have to move their chips to bet on this gambling table according to the dealer's instructions. "

"In short, here, no one needs to fearfully observe the mood preferences of the lords, be subject to the randomness of the rulers, and worry about possible unrest. For example, in Exeter, if a king dies, a new one must be replaced. A new licing mine contract?”

Zhan stopped smiling. He stared at the prince tightly without saying a word.

Thales changed the subject:

"But once I become a relative of Kevin Deere, and someone naturally higher than Kevin Deere appears in the South Coast Territory, then the established rules can still be abided by, will they still be followed? Once the greedy nobles and royal officials of the royal capital If the merchants follow me and Bright Star to the Emerald City, will they still respect order? Will they not take advantage of their naturally stronger royal power to take advantage of it? "

"For example, with the previous arrest of Dagory Moss, what you want the whole Emerald City to see is that the Bright Star Royal Family is protecting the businessmen of the Central Territory, and that 'the Royal Family wants to change the rules you live by'?" "

Thales sighed:

"This is your purpose for spreading this rumor - and I am a northerner who grew up in Exeter. Oh, I forgot. For the South Bank Territory, the north of Muhe River, including Yongxing City, counts." The Savage North'.

Zhan looked at him with an increasingly strange look.

"I guess, as a result, almost all the merchants, owners, craftsmen and workers in the Emerald City, which can be said to be the vast majority of ordinary citizens, will spontaneously reject me, hate me, and resist the royal family's entry and intervention - the one who wants to fight me The stupid Earl will not say it, but the Sunset Priest who expressed dissatisfaction with my marriage a few days ago, I guess he reflected and reflected the wishes of the general public? "

Thales sighed in his heart: On this point, the prince's butts have lost.

"So, go to hell with any bullshit marriage," Thales sneered. "If I really set the goal of marrying your sister and think that I can safely get my hands on the Emerald City through the marriage between the royal family and the Duke, then I'm really blind. Eye."

"Not bad, Your Highness," Zhan En hummed, looking at him with admiration, "Not bad."

Thales took a deep breath.

But that's not all.

Far more than that.

"And the entire South Coast Territory, from the Duke on down, the traditional high-level vassals - whether they are real or honorary nobles, earls, viscounts, barons - and their families, all have business and roots in the Emerald City, and their relationships are intricate and cover all walks of life. Industry." Thales continued.

This is the news that D.D and the dandies in Emerald City have come back from having fun.

"For example, Karabiyan in the Vola Territory and Rasia in the Zeland. These nobles either partnered with a businessman to provide guarantees, or invested in a certain industry to receive dividends, or simply took the initiative to open up a trade route on their own..."

Well, there are also the two Karabiyan twin sisters... In order to find out the family business relationship behind it through the Tailors' Guild, Commuto had no choice but to be robbed of 224 gold coins. Fortunately, he had just passed Miranda Resolved.

"...So their profits and income no longer depend on their traditional land, but largely depend on -"

"The prosperity of the Emerald City." Zhan took over the words calmly.

Thales nodded with a solemn expression:

“And the prosperity of Emerald City depends on trade re-exports, rules and order, the governance and protection of the Kevin Deere family, and the prestige you have accumulated in the South Coast Territory for a long time.

"This makes you safe and sound in the traditional ruling order: when the baron and his subordinate villagers are forced to despair by the land, no one will listen to them when they bring out legal principles and cry in the court hall, and there is not even a significant vassal. When you are willing to arbitrate for him, it will be even less possible for my father to subvert you through these people - at the royal banquet, the land conflicts and debt disputes like Bailar and Doyle will not even make a splash here. Splash, even if there is one, is just a matter of Judge Brennan’s blow.”

Thales thought of something and was silent for a while before continuing:

"So, the Grand Dukes of Exeter may unite to oppose Charmaine Lombard; the Forrest and Zemuto families in the north may covet Arunde because of short-sightedness, pride, and greed. There is a backward power vacuum; the ministers of the Western Wasteland, including Chroma of the Wing Castle and Bozdov of the Soul Castle, may also become separated from Duke Falkenhaus due to different positions and political opinions. "

Thales only felt that the words he said were extremely heavy:

"But here, the great vassals on the south bank have been involved for too long, are too involved, and are too dependent. Not only can they not be bribed by my father to oppose you, but they will only surround the Emerald City and be surrounded by the entire The South Bank establishment is tied together to support Kevin Deer and resist the royal invasion."

"Really? Are you sure?"

Zhan's eyes became sharper.

Thales stared at Zhan, feeling something deeper in his eyes.

"As for the final counterattack force," the prince spoke slowly, telling the information that Gilbert had compiled and came to him through Huaiya, "as early as the year your father died and you succeeded as Duke , was completely wiped out.”

Zhan's eyes moved.

"Nearly ten years ago, in 669, Viscount Sona Kelvindir of Gonghai City hired a murderer to assassinate your father."

Jenn took a deep breath.

"Viscount Sonar—your uncle succeeded half way, but after the conspiracy was exposed, he died in prison," Thales sighed. "I think that was the last counterattack of the traditional land aristocrats of the South Coast Territory."

Of course, if this happened to Exeter, the Northlanders would probably elect Sona Kelvindir as king.

The night wind blew across the observation deck, and Zhan En's eyes were deep.

"It is better to die because of friends than to die because of enemies."

He put out the hookah and put the pipe back into the pot:

"But my father never thought that this sentence could be applied to his own brother."

Thales said nothing and gave the man in front of him a little respect.

"Last point, it stands to reason that in such a big city, there should be only a few more slums like the Lower City," Thales continued a few seconds later, "in the Emerald City."

"There are indeed quite a few," Zhan nodded. "This is the new suburb here, and its area is still increasing year by year."

Thales shook his head:

"But it is far from as chaotic as the Royal Capital - in comparison, there are many citizens in Yongxing City, but there are more poor people. The area of ​​​​the Lower City District is several times that of other districts, and it can only be managed if it is divided into three districts. They call that management.”

Thales couldn't help but frown when he thought of the past in the sixth house.

"The Emerald City is rich, with many businesses, various industries, and many jobs. As long as you have hands and feet and are willing to work, you will not starve to death. As long as there is hope, there will not be many people who take desperate risks," Thales sighed. , "Even the Brotherhood and the Blood Bottle Gang must be careful under such an order."

“Therefore, it doesn’t seem feasible to make decisions from the bottom in the city.”

After the words fell, Thales was silent for a long time.

Zhan En didn't speak either. It seemed that at this moment, the two of them were tasting the same thing in tacit understanding.

"This is all the information I know about Emerald City."

Thales sighed:

"In short: I simply didn't find Kevin Deere's so-called weakness."

Zhan looked at him, his eyes changing several times.

"I really admire you, Jenn, I really do."

The prince's eyes were dark:

"As far as I can see, from military to finance, from politics to institutions, from commerce to public opinion, from ruling relations to the bottom society, every part of this city and this territory is tightly connected, interlocked, watertight, and impeccable. ”

"As long as you are still on this land, whoever dares to touch you and Kevin Deere's rule is going to touch the rules of this city, its order, its interests, and its foundation, and they will inevitably have to bear the consequences. From top to bottom, from the inside to the outside, the entire Nan'an leader made a concerted effort to fight back."

Thales walked to the lookout and knocked on the stone railing of Kongming Palace:

"It's not as thrilling as the Northern Territory, not as rough and toothy as the Western Wilderness, and not as authoritative and heavy as Yongxing City, but it is a real iron and copper wall that is as solid as gold."

The prince looked at the town in front of him and couldn't help but sigh:

"The Emerald City is known as the City of Queens, but some people also call it the 'Queen of the City'."

He turned to Zhan and pointedly said:

"You know, the outcome on the chessboard depends on whether the king lives or dies, but in fact, the queen is the strongest piece."

Zhan En remained silent for a long time.

"Are you overestimating us? You know, we don't even have a city wall."

Thales smiled.

He patted the railing and felt his palms hurt:

"Yes, it has no walls - it can't be expanded quickly enough to keep up with the influx of residents, but..."

Thales thought of the past scene and said with emotion:

"A mediocre monarch builds his city walls with earth and stone. Foreign enemies cannot invade and the castle cannot be destroyed..."

But before he finished speaking, Zhan interrupted him:

“A wise monarch uses the human heart as his city wall, and he is always victorious and undefeated, and will never cease to prosper.”

The Duke of Nan'an read this sentence and was slightly lost in thought.

Thales was startled:

"How did you know?"

Zhan looked at him:

"Of course, The Supremacy by Honorable Count Al-Ruhsan."

"He was a military strategist a hundred years ago, a Tuo Luo man with no strength, but he became the military adviser to the wise king Mindis III and the de facto supreme commander of the Star Army. He could even hold a sword. The Immovable 'Swordless Marshal' - since you quoted his words, you should know that, right?"

ah?

"Supreme Strategy"?

Ruh what?

What the hell?

"Oh, Lu, Ruhsang, well, that's right," Thales, who looked confused, had to pretend to be calm, "That's him I'm talking about."

But Zhan seemed to see through him, and saw the Duke chuckle.

"Ruhsan was the commander of the 'Glorious Battle' in the Fourth Continental War. He overturned many established combat thinking and combined naval warfare with land warfare, city defense and field warfare, and coast and plains to formulate strategies. Although he did not The glorious victory of the Great Sail of Borasco, which dyed the sea water red, also made the Humble people's Morrowind fleet and the Ligurban fleet return without success, leaving the Eastern Continent's menacing so-called 'million army' The landing failed and we had to withdraw our troops in despair."

"It was also from him that military advisors became a permanent and important position in the Royal Council, and the Royal Knights Academy also added strategic planning to its curriculum."

Zhan En changed the subject and his smile disappeared:

"But in his later years, when Ruhsang retired and lived in the Emerald City, his military thoughts became conservative and backward. He was always criticized and ridiculed, saying that he was too old and unwilling to make progress. He was frightened by the nightmares of illness. Courage, the glory is gone.”

""Supreme Strategy" is his unfinished posthumous work. Compared with his other works on strategizing and discussing war, this book does not talk about how to fight, but how to avoid fighting - these days, not many people Read it willingly.”

A loud chorus came from the banquet hall, and it seemed that the competition banquet had reached its climax.

"Uh, yes, that's right," Thales coughed, "That's it, uh, it fits the current situation of the Emerald City very well. You don't use military force, you can't take risks, you can't afford big things, but you let everyone who wants to take advantage of this The jackals, tigers and leopards cannot eat the bones."

Well, is it a bit disrespectful to describe the king like this?

Zhan En's face was as dark as water and he remained silent.

It seems like a century has passed.

"not me."

Zhan finally spoke.

"What? What's not you?" Thales asked doubtfully.

"I mean, it's not just me, or even my dad."

The young Duke came to Thales and looked with him at the lights of thousands of families under the Kongming Palace:

"What you see today is from the Golden Age of Stars started by the wise king a hundred years ago, from Duke Federico, the 'parrot' who was laughed at and clumsy and said he was a parrot, through six generations of Kevin Dill, the seven Dukes of the South Bank, and countless people with lofty ideals worked together. They stayed in one corner but had a long-term vision. They kept a low profile and kept a low profile for a century, and they built the Queen's City. "

a hundred years.

Six generations.

Seven Dukes.

Thales changed color slightly.

He understood something.

Federico the "Parrot", Ruhsan the "Swordless Marshal".

turn out to be……

Wise Lord Mindis III.

He was not the only great man in that turbulent era.

"Your heart is complicated," Zhan En raised the corners of his lips and raised his arms towards the entire Emerald City, "but this palace is empty and bright."

Zhan glanced at Thales coldly:

"It is compared to your glorious and long-lasting Bright Star Royal Family, compared to Yongxing City that has descended since the Xianjun, compared to the Fuxing Palace that is difficult to recover from..."

"How is it?"